The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime published a report describing a fundamental restructuring of Southeast Asia’s criminal economy, where once-fragmented networks have merged into an interconnected system of fraud and money laundering. Losses from scams in 2025 are estimated between $88.3 billion and $114.1 billion, outstripping the GDP of several countries in the region, with much of the money flowing through cryptocurrency. People from at least 80 countries have been identified inside specialized compounds, where generative AI, deepfakes and malvertising are used to trap victims. The UNODC is urging regional police to develop specialized crypto skills to trace and seize funds, as disruption-focused strategies alone have proven ineffective.
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